Directives and Daisies
by nightassassin480
Summary: Auto has been piloting the Axiom for almost 500 years, and it has been a rather dull existence for the android indeed. But when the computer system Hal is forcibly thrust into his care, perhaps the older android can show Auto that there is more to life than just being miserable. Auto/Hal. Pre Wall-E and post 2010: Odyssey Two. I own nothing but the story.
1. Chapter 1

**Takes place pre-Wall-E and post 2010: Odyssey Two, so as far as this crossover is concerned: Wall-E hasn't happened and 2061 and 3001 never happen. I kind of did my own thing with what happens after 2010, where the two captains of the **_**Discovery II **_**(my own characters) rescue and reboot Hal a while after the ending of 2010. I don't know how this got so long and I don't know if later chapters will be this long, but do please sit back, relax, and enjoy the story.**

"Captain." The two syllable word spoken in the usual monotone of its owner awoke the sleeping captain with a small jump. Captain McCrea yawned loudly, pressing down on the button that swiveled his chair so he could face the android. He glanced up at Auto, his dark brown eyes meeting a single red one. The android stood stiffly, one hand holding the other behind his back as he looked back over his shoulder at the captain.

"Yeah Auto, what is it?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes with a pudgy hand.

"Captain," The autopilot repeated, turning to face the large glass window. "There is a ship approaching the _Axiom_."

"Oh, well if it was just that then- wait, what?!" Captain started, almost falling out of his chair as he tried to sit up in shock. "A-A ship? With, like, other people on it?"

"I believe so, Captain." Auto said, staring at something out the window. Captain pressed down on his chair's control panel again, making him move next to Auto. He looked to where the robot's good eye stared and saw the bright object that was supposed to be another ship. He watched it for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He didn't know that there were other ships out here, at least, there weren't supposed to be any. Could it be another escaped shuttle from Earth? Were there even any other shuttles made to escape Earth? He watched the slow moving dot a bit longer before speaking.

"Auto, I think we should make contact."

"Affirmative."

With the agreement of the autopilot, him being about the only android aboard the _Axiom_ that McCrea would ever listen too when it came to important matters of opinion, he reached for the interstellar communication link that would allow him to reach the unidentified shuttle slowly making its way towards them. And upon reaching for it he fell a few inches short of being able to grab it. He stared at the small communications device and stretched as far as his arm would allow, even leaning forwards and flailing his arm a bit. Just as he looked like he was about to fall out of his chair Auto silently reached over and picked up the wireless box and held it within the captain's reach.

"Ah, thanks Auto." McCrea said as he grabbed the device and brought it up to his face. He stared at it questioningly- never having to use it before- and eventually discovered how to turn it on. A sudden sound of static and random beeps filled the room and the captain flinched as he started turning knobs until silence filled the air. He glanced at Auto and Auto only glanced back, having nothing to say on the communications device. With no apparent help from the usual pilot he started at the box a moment longer before clearing his throat and talking into the open slits.

"H-Hello? Does anyone copy? This is Captain McCrea of the _Axiom_. Is anyone out there?"

Silence answered him. He looked at Auto, who calmly shrugged back. Captain simply shrugged back in reply.

"Huh… Maybe there isn't anyone-"

A sudden burst of sound from the com-link startled them both, causing the autopilot to flinch slightly and the captain to almost drop the device. "Hello? This is Co-Captain Stone of the _Discovery II_. Do you read me?"

Captain McCrea covered the part that was meant to be spoken into and asked "'Do you read me?'" to Auto with a look that pretty much said _Can you believe this guy? Of course I can't read them._ "Yeah, I uh 'read' you."

"Really? Wait- is this Annie? Because I swear if this is a joke I will personally have you tossed out the pod bay doors!" The male voice said over the com. There was another short pause as Captain made a face.

"Uh, no. This is Captain McCrea, of the _Axiom_. We saw your ship and figured we would try to get a response."

The two listened and waited for a response, hearing Captain Stone's voice yell something and a few seconds later a woman's voice answering in reply. "Well, I'm sorry for accusing you of being my other captain here. Hope I didn't offend any of you over there."

"None taken! Actually we were surprised that there would be other people out here. We thought that we were the only people who escaped Earth."

"Escaped? What does that-"The loud, direct voice stopped but they could still hear the other captain and the female voice talking. McCrea listened to the distant sounding voices as he tried to make out what the two other people were saying. _Other people_. His mind raced at the thought. The mere consideration that there could be other like who was on the _Axiom_ was enough to make his head spin. A though suddenly occurred to him that did not come to him before. He raised the small box back up to his mouth and cleared his throat into it. Once he heard silence he continued into the box.

"If you don't mind, maybe you can dock here for a while! We haven't seen another human being in ages since leaving Earth!"

* * *

Captain Jonathan Stone set his own circular com link back into the slot which he had pulled it out of. After replacing the small device his hands found their way into his hair. Captain Annie Parson stood beside him, her eyes shining brightly under the florescent glimmer of the _Discovery II's_ light fixtures. "Did you hear that? Other people out here!" She said, almost bouncing into the air. The sitting man just rolled his eyes at her but couldn't help but share a bit of her enthusiasm. How long has it been since they have spoken to another human being? "They are even letting us go over there, onto their ship! How cool would that be to see another ship after looking at this one for the past decade or two, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Stone mumbled leaning back into his chair.

Annie continued on. "Just think about it, being able to have an intelligent conversation with another being! Visiting around, seeing something other than cosmic space dust, new friends- it'll be good for him too ya know!" That caught Captain Stone's attention, his head snapping around to glare up at his Co-Captain, his usually dull eyes now dark.

"Absolutely not. I am not letting that crazy lunatic off this ship." He said to her harshly. Annie flinched but then frowned at him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Hal is not a lunatic, John! And why not? Look, you've see how Hal has been since we showed him the footage of what he did while in charge of the _Discovery-_damn whoever thought that was a good idea to a black hole. All he does now is mope, and that can't be healthy- even for an android." She paused and looked towards the back of the command room. "Just look at him John. He doesn't even sing anymore." The wistful tone in his comrade's voice somehow convinced him to glance over at the ex-captain of the _Discovery_. Hal sat in a chair facing the wall, looking down at a full chess board set up before him but instead of playing by himself like he used too he was just nudging a piece back and forth on the smooth surface. He sighed and refaced the control panel in front of him.

"It is pitiful I guess."

"You guess? Pff, you'd be doing a little bit more than 'guessing' if you were the one who had to listen to him cry after we showed him that tape."

"Yeah, yeah." Jonathan groaned inwardly as he massaged his temples. Did he want to let Hal off the _Discovery II_? No. Did he really care all that much about the psychotic android's feelings? Not as much as Annie did. But, doesn't Annie- despite the possible risk, despite the possible horrendous outcome, and despite the strength of his opinion- always get what she wants? With another sigh he glared up at the other captain. "You better keep a damn close eye on him."

She gasped and smiled wide. "Really? Oh thank you John, I'm sure Hal will be so happy! Hey Hal, guess what- we're going on a trip!" She yelled turning towards the only other being in the room. The piece he was poking fell over as he jumped and he looked up to Annie, blinking his red eyes a few times before answering.

"Really? John says that I can leave the ship?" He asked softly. Annie nodded, her smile stretching so far that it threatened to split her face in two. Hal's dreary expression lit up instantly and he smiled. "Oh, thank you John! I hated being stuck here, it's so depressing you know!" Hal cried, clasping his hands together.

"Sure, Hal." He said as he began tapping buttons for the _Discovery II_ to follow. "Just try not to get too excited when we land though. I don't want you scaring everyone."

* * *

"I don't think this is a good idea Captain. I don't see why I-"

"Auto, you need to be here. You're my pilot, for crying out loud! The least you can do is act like you support your captain in front of the visitors for a few minutes before relocking yourself back up in the bridge, alright?" McCrea had said mentioned the last part in an attempt to get Auto relax a bit, but only achieved getting a barely audible huff from the android. The captain rolled his eyes and continued to stare at the airlock door that the two captains from the new found _Discovery II_ would be coming through once decompression occurred. Movement could be heard outside the door and a loud pop followed by a hiss soon came after that. McCrea straightened as much as much as he could in his chair and Auto stood just a little taller as footsteps echoed and a silhouetted mass appeared behind the thick glass door. Glancing at him, Auto saw the captain nod at him; he raised his hand to the control panel on the wall and pressed the 'open hatch' button. With another hiss of air the door slowly opened and a small trio stepped out.

"Ah hello people- whoa." Annie said with a wave but cut off when she noticed Captain McCrea and his overall physical size. Jonathan coughed awkwardly and patted his partner's shoulder.

"Good evening gentlemen- don't mind my Co-Captain, she's a bit touched." He shot a discreet glare at Annie who responded with a huff and an 'I am not.'

"Aw, it's fine. Welcome aboard the _Axiom_, pride of the B&L establishment! I'm Captain McCrea and this," He motioned behind him. "Is Auto, the pilot." The autopilot nodded at the group, glancing quickly over their faces but frowning once his good eye met Hal's. The other android held his gaze for a few seconds, giving the pilot a small, shy smile. Auto snorted.

"I'm Co-Captain Jonathan Stone, of the _Discovery II_, and this is Co-Captain Annie of the same ship." The woman nudged Jonathan and he sighed. "And behind me is Hal the… ex-captain of the first _Discovery_. I'm sorry if it offends you that we brought him- I didn't want to but my Co-Captain here insisted."

"No, no it's totally fine. Another android- cool! Well I'm glad to have you all aboard!"

"Glad to be on board too, McCrea sir!" Annie said giving him a goofy grin. "Neat ship you have here."

The small talk continued, mostly it was just Stone and Annie relaxing into the new environment and asking questions about the _Axiom_, which Captain McCrea answered. Of course, Hal would occasionally input his own comment when he was asked too, but otherwise kept silent, watching the other android carefully. Hal hadn't seen any other androids besides his siblings before, and he hadn't even heard from them in decades-centuries even! He blamed his fascination with the other machine on a lack of familiarity of any other androids, which made it mentally easier for Hal to openly gawk at the other red-eyed being.

Auto was obviously a younger model, which was evident to him, despite the rather grim mood he put off. He looked like Hal would imagine any other android would look- human, clean-cut, and wearing clothes that seemed acceptable for an android of Auto's status aboard the ship as well. The eye patch was strange to him though. Hal had always thought that putting accessories on robots was a rather depraved waste of time. Unless, of course, if it wasn't an accessory.

"So, you all want to head up to the bridge? It'll be much more comfortable than standing around here." McCrea offered, causing Hal to look away from Auto.

The two co-captains shrugged and nodded. "Sure, why not."

* * *

Auto stood away from the small group, feeling incredibly uncomfortable with so many people in the _Axiom's_ bridge at once. He hated to feel crowded, and it didn't help that one of the 'guests' had taken an interest in him. It seemed like every time he was able to distract himself from the obnoxiously noisy conversation going on ten feet away from him he would start to feel someone watching him and look up to see Hal staring at him. He was half tempted to just yell 'What?' at the android, but strict discipline kept him from doing so. Any other robot might have been flattered and maybe try to make conversation with the older model of android- but neither flattery nor friendliness was in the autopilot's programming.

"So, an ex-captain huh? How does that happen?" Auto heard his own captain ask; suddenly interested in the conversation once he noticed the reaction of the strange group.

"Oh, um… we don't talk about that in front of Hal, you see…" The other man bent down to his ear and whispered something that made McCrea's face pale.

"Oh, I'm sorry." McCrea said, now flustered, looking to Hal who wasn't paying attention. "Hmm, hey Auto!"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Why don't you show our friend Hal around the ship? I'm sure he'd much rather be doing that than standing here looking bored."

"Yes, I think I would prefer that- well, if it ok with your pilot of course." Hal said, giving a bashful glance to Auto.

_You're going to sit there and stare at me, and then all of a sudden get embarrassed?_ He grit his teeth a moment before sighing. As much as he would rather deactivate himself than be alone with the other android, but he knew better than to question a captain-especially when in front of guests. "Of course, sir." He walked towards the door leading into the hallway, waving at Hal to follow him. The other android moved swiftly to join Auto before the two walked out of the bridge together.

An eerie silence filled the room after they left, but after a moment McCrea broke the quiet. "What do you mean 'murdered'?"

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed around the white walls of the hallway Auto was leading Hal down. This part of the ship was off-limits to the citizens of the _Axiom_ so he expected to see no one but the occasional android, but this was one of the rare moments that Auto wished that the hallway was bustling with the overweight humans he had become accustomed too. The silence was awkward at best, and it didn't seem to be getting any better any time soon. As much as Auto would have loved to have gotten away from the situation he knew that that would be disobeying orders- something he preferred not to do. He carefully glanced over at the other, watching as Hal looked around the hallway. He took a deep breath and readjusted his hat, lifting the rim up and then back down without actually removing it.

The silence was still uncomfortable, but was being to get tolerable- until a soft cough was heard.

"I, um, don't think we have been properly introduced." Hal said after clearing his throat, seeming a little nervous as he looked up at Auto. He stuck his hand out towards the pilot a bit, far enough to invite a handshake but still close enough to his body so he could bring it back to his side with some dignity if the gesture was not returned. "I'm the _**H**__euristically programmed __**AL**__gorithmic computer_; the HAL 9000- but everyone just calls me Hal."

Auto looked from Hal's face down to his hand and just when Hal figured that he was just going to be ignored Auto took his pale white hand in his gloved one and shook it. "I am the _**A**__utomated __**U**__nit for __**T**__ransportation and __**O**__rganization_; the Autopilot…" He paused before continuing. "I suppose you may call me Auto if you prefer it." He let go of the other's hand, trying to ignore the small smile on his face.

"Well, thank you Auto."

"You're welcome." He said back. The tension that was there had diminished a bit through Hal's introduction, but Auto still felt stiff around the other. He seemed friendly enough although that was the main reason why he felt so uncomfortable. The only androids aboard the _Axiom_ that acted this kind towards him were usually malfunctioning. It is probably because he has just met me. The android thought to himself, opening the door out of the hallway. He paused a second before continuing into the large, extended room ahead. "What you just saw were mostly just maintenance rooms, storage, and other forms of support for the ship." Auto spoke dryly, walking up to the rail at the edge of the platform and looking over it. "This is the main purpose of this vessel." Hal walked up beside him, gaping once he looked downward to what Auto was referring too.

"Oh wow! Are those all people?" He asked, scanning quickly over the large swelling and receding crowds of bodies.

"Affirmative. They are all of what's left of the human race."

"Hm. Are they all so…?"

"Large?" Auto finished for him with a wry smile.

"I was going to go with 'rotund' but yes. 'Large' works just the same."

There was another pause and Auto started walking towards the staircase connecting off the side of the balcony, leading downward. He looked over his shoulder at the other android who watched him silently. "Would you care for a closer look?"

The smile that burst onto the other's face was a good enough answer and Hal quickly moved away from the railing to walk next to Auto once again.

**And there you have it folks! Reviews are loved; flames will be given to Hal and Annie to roast marshmallows with, and feedback is greatly appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So he just killed everyone?" McCrea asked the two other captains, a somewhat disturbed look on his face. They nodded.

"Everyone except David Bowman. No one is really all too sure what happened to him." Jonathan replied.

"He didn't do it out of spite though, David threatened to shut him down- that, mixed with ignorant programming caused him to have a sort of mental lapse. He was truly an accident waiting to happen anyway." Annie said, avoiding the glare of her partner as she explained away Hal's actions.

"So…" Captain McCrea continued. "He's not dangerous anymore, right?"

The two looked at each other a second before answering. Annie spoke up first. "Well, yes, but he has a tendency to lapse occasionally into a kind of melancholy. That's kind of why we just avoid the whole subject around him. I doubt he would do any harm on purpose. He was actually a happy individual up until we received a message from the board back on Earth about three years ago, stating that it was decided that it would be best if we played him his own forgotten memory tapes- so he would remember or something like that."

"And we all know how that went." John Stone grumbled.

"What happened?" McCrea asked, leaning forward in his chair a bit.

"Poor thing just sat there, staring at the screen." Annie continued.

"He watched the whole thing, not saying a word and when it was over he just sat there. At least until after I left the room, that's when he reacted."

"At first it was just the occasional soft noise- I almost thought he was breaking down! It wasn't until I asked him what was wrong that I realized that he was crying." She paused for a moment, shuddering, and then continued. "He just sat there sobbing, mumbling 'They were my friends. They were my friends and I killed them'. After that he was never the same. He stopped being his normal happy self and just… I don't know. It's like a piece of him died or something."

McCrea sat in his chair, a look of worry on his face. "Wow. Yeah, that sounds pretty rough on the poor guy. He seemed pretty ok when I saw him."

"Well, he should be fine now." John said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "It's been a few years since then. He just gets depressed or whatever happens to androids when he thinks about it and has random nightmares. It doesn't really affect anyone outside of himself unless you let it do so."

"Yeah," Annie agreed with a nod. "He's pretty harmless in the reality of the situation unless you take him up on an offer to a game of chess. Then he'll kick your butt." She said with a giggle.

"That makes me feel a bit better I guess, not that I would hope anything bad on such a nice guy- but I'm glad he's not a threat to anyone."

"Not unlike that autopilot of yours. He's kind of… intimidating." Annie replied, her eyes widening slightly.

John smirked and gave a small bob of his head. "Now he looked like what a real android should be-professional, terrifying, and a badass. I would have much rather had him on board with me all these years instead of that crazy 9000, eh?" He looked to his Co-Captain who promptly smacked him without so much as glancing at the man.

"Aw, Auto isn't that bad! Well… he kind of is-but I will admit that it does get tiring having a robot that's so serious all the time. It would be nice to have one like Hal to kind of even things out a bit, you know?"

John visibly perked up at this, leaning forward a bit as he quickly offered, "You want him? You can have him!" The offer of a free android (the pricing of such robots- even a model as old as Hal- was nothing to sneeze at) shocked the other two standing in the room, leaving McCrea with a surprised look on his face and Annie to give John a glare so intense that it would rival the sun.

"John, what the heck man? You can't just go and offer to give our friend away!"

"Your friend Annie." John corrected, pretending not to notice the scalding stare she was sending him. "Besides, why not? You know he would much rather be aboard something like this- with other androids like him than stuck aboard the _Discovery II_ with only a couple of crazy humans to keep him company."

This made Annie pause a moment in though. He has a point, Hal does hate being on our ship. She sighed and shook her head. "John, I don't think we should discuss this without his say in it- that would just be cruel to him after what happened back in 2010."

"Ok, ok calm down. We'll talk to Hal when he and the other android get back. But McCrea if- I said if Annie- the offer to put Hal under your care was given would you take it?"

"Oh, well I suppose I wouldn't mind taking him in as long as it was ok with him of course. I'm sure Auto wouldn't mind either."

John looked at his partner as if to say 'See?' She just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Oh-and before I forget!" John said, hoping that the sudden change in subject would distract Annie from his idea for a moment. "You mention something about Earth earlier that I would really like to hear about…"

* * *

Hal followed Auto closely, trying to avoid the bulky humans while especially trying not to bump into the irritated looking android walking in front of him at the same time. It was weird for him- to see such a large group of people who looked so different from how he remembered them. Most of them sat on hovering chairs, talking to a screen in front of their face, other talking to people who floating beside them, and he rarely saw a person who was walking on their own two feet. Hal eyed the ones that came close to him curiously, watching them with interest. On occasion he would glance up to the taller robot walking ahead of him making a short second of eye contact before Auto turned his head away from him. He wanted to mention it a few times but was able to mentally talk himself out of it; the _Axiom's_ autopilot didn't seem the type to enjoy being called out on something. So instead he settled on silence.

There was conversation though; Auto would explain something that would obviously be new to the older android and replied to all of his questions in short, curt answers- never giving out more information that he had too.

_At least he looks acceptable._ Auto thought, the frown he wore never leaving his face. He wasn't used to trying to look 'on the bright side of things' as Captain put it, but he found himself somehow magically pulling it off while leading Hal around the ship. Of course, he hadn't seen an android in a suit and tie before- the only people he had ever seen in those were the business men who had funded his manufacturing- but he didn't look too out of place. He supposed he could be grateful for that much anyway. Not that it mattered. The only beings around him were all bloated people- and none of them would notice something out of the ordinary unless it affected their already too-easy lives.

Or hit them square in the face. As much as Auto tried to deny it, the thought amused him and he was barely able to suppress the mocking smirk that threatened to spread across his lips. As much power humans claimed to have, it was hard to see it when all you had to do to overpower them would be to overturn their hover-chair. Then abruptly every thought that may have struck him as humorous left with the sound of that calm voice from behind him. "So is this all they do? Just float around and talk to each other?" Hal asked softly. Auto glanced at him before nodding.

"Affirmative. They used to be more active, attempting to keep themselves in shape and healthy for a while. Eventually, though, it seems that the human mind can be attracted to an easier form of living." He said, the pair watching as a rather fat man in one of the chairs hovered by.

Hal hummed, moving a bit closer to Auto. He clenched his teeth and forced himself not to quicken his step. _Why did Captain have to send me away?_ The question almost left his lips when he heard a voice. He stopped abruptly, giving a discrete glare at Hal when he bumped into him lightly. He muttered a soft apology, looking away and blushing. Auto turned looking back over the short crowd to see a figure running towards them. His eyebrows arched slightly and he raised a hand to pinch the spot on his nose that was between his eyes. "Oh no." He said while shutting his eyes.

Hal looked up at him. "What is it Auto?" He looked over to where the pilot was just looking and his eyes widened as he saw another man running up to them, leaping over the shorter people in his way. He moved back a bit as the man skidded to a stop in front of them, bent over and panting. He stood upright suddenly, giving a salute.

"Auto, sir!" He panted out, standing completely still, other than his chest rising and falling quickly with each breath.

The pilot swore under his breath and lowered his hand, waving it in the air at the other. "At ease, Gopher." Auto said watching as he relaxed; still trying to catch his breath and mumbling out something that vaguely resembled a 'Thank you sir'.

"You're welcome- now what is it that you want?" Auto asked his subordinate, moving slightly to block Hal from his vision. Gopher swallowed before speaking, taking one last deep breath of air.

"Sir, Captain McCrea asked me to come and get you. He wants you back up on the bridge."

Auto looked unimpressed. "If that was all he wanted then why didn't you just call me?"

Gopher met Auto's hard gaze without so much as a twitch. "McCrea also said something about a 'friend' and I wanted to see the visitor myself." He leaned to the side, meeting Hal's bright eyes with his own pitch black ones. "This is him right?"

Auto sighed, moving to the side a bit so that the two could look at each other better. "Affirmative. Hal, this is my right-hand man, GO-4- you may refer to him as Gopher. This is Hal; please refrain from startling him again."

"Right, excuse my excitement Hal. It isn't often that I get to speak to anyone but my boss here." He outstretched and hand which Hal took, smiling back at the other.

"It's alright. It is even less often that I get to speak to another computer too, I suppose."

"Yeah. Well, I am going to tell McCrea that you two will be up in a second." With that the dark haired robot left, walking against the crowd of chairs and people swiftly- looking much more dignified than when he came running towards them. Hal watched him go; only looking away to Auto when he heard the taller sigh.

"Please excuse him. He is an excellent assistant when he is working but he has a tendency to get a bit too enthusiastic sometimes."

Hal let out a short laugh and nodded. "Yes, I can see that."

"I'm just glad he did not hiss at you."

"Yeah." Hal agreed before the words sunk in. "Wait, what-?"

The autopilot began to walk away, talking to Hal, who was following closely, over his shoulder. "Let's go back to the bridge. I don't want to keep that captain waiting."

* * *

"You're abandoning me?"

"Oh no, Hal honey, it's not like that!"

"Not possible."

"Auto, we haven't agreed on it yet. We are just putting the idea out there."

Jonathan was leaning against the large control panel, watching the two small groups of people on opposing sides of the bridge. On the left was Annie and Hal, the former trying to comfort the dejected looking latter- and to the right were Captain McCrea and Auto, the man and robot arguing quietly. He was silently glad he wasn't involved either way, being quite happy to just sit back and listen. The seemingly grand idea of allowing Hal to stay behind while they went back to check out Earth hadn't gone over too well with the android party. He felt a little bad about not being involved in the conversation- it was his idea after all- but not bad enough to butt in rudely and throw his opinions out there when they were obviously not needed.

"Look Hal, it's nothing like it was with Dr. Chandra- we aren't abandoning you in the depths of space. We would be leaving you with other people and androids. We are just trying to look out for what could be in your best interests- and I doubt that being aboard the _Discovery II_ is helping you get over what happened back on the first _Discovery_. I just want you to be happy Hal!"

"Auto, please stop for a moment. It is just a thought- in the end it is up to Hal with if he wants to stay or not and if he does want to stay I think we should welcome him."

Hal stood still, not looking at Annie as he thought about what she said. She could be right; maybe a change of scenery would be good for his mind. It really wasn't like he would be alone either- he would have the captain, Auto, and all the other androids and people. He would have all the company he wanted, really. But it just seemed too much like his talk with Chandra before he had to leave him for Hal to be comfortable with agreeing to stay. "Isn't this a little sudden, Annie? To just be getting ready to get rid of me at the first ship we meet? I can understand John wanting this, but…" He let the sentence die off, his point getting across without him having to finish it.

"Perhaps, but we may never see another ship again. And then you will be stuck with me and John until it's our time to meet with that big space shuttle in the sky." She paused, swallowing the sob that threatened to come up before continuing. "Then Hal, you really would be alone. If that happens- whether what Captain McCrea told us about Earth is true or not- you will be alone. There would be no _Alexei Leonov_ coming your way. Even worse, you would just have to live out your existence knowing that you could have had all this-" She motioned to the ship's room around her. "You may look for the _Axiom_ and waste all of the ship's fuel hunting but we both know the probability of you ever finding it. Besides," She grabbed the collar of his suit jacket gently, tugging him down to her height so she could press her mouth against his ear. "I saw the way you looked at the pilot, and don't you tell me otherwise because I know what that look was." She let go of Hal, allowing his to stand straight again. He looked at her with a silent glare, fixing his tie.

"It is not like that…" He mumbled, trying to fight the blush that had already turned his cheeks from pale white to bright pink.

"Mm-hm." She said, giving him a look that practically said _'Really? You're going to try to lie to me?'_

Hal just sighed, finally gaining control over his reddening face and he crossed his arms. "Can I just have a few minutes to think it over?"

"Of course Hal." She patted her longtime friend on the shoulder. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you." He turned from her and left through the door, it automatically shutting behind him as he left. Annie watched the door for a second before turning to McCrea and Auto.

"Auto, don't be like that! Hal could be a very good addition to the _Axiom_!"

"Not possible, Captain." Auto said through gritted, standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

Annie wondered how the Captain could even dare to stand up to such a threatening looking being. _Oh Hal,_ she though with a sad smile, _You have the strangest tastes in friends._

* * *

After wandering around the empty halls of the spaceship for a few minutes Hal found himself standing in front of a large glass window, staring out into the black depths of space. It was silent except for the sound of his own slow breathing and the even softer sound of air flowing through the empty hallway. He stood there, watching the calm glow of the stars and far off planets, imagining himself floating among them- not a single care in the world. The android heaved a sigh, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. It seemed very appealing, moving into the _Axiom_. Actually, the more he thought about it the more appealing the thought seemed. Annie was right, if he stayed with them they would eventually pass away then he would not have anyone- if he stayed here, people would pass, yes, but there would be more and androids didn't die from things like old age or sicknesses.

But something kept him from immediately accepting the offer made to him. It would seem petty to anyone else, to hold onto something like it for so many years, but he couldn't shake the feeling of having been through this before. Centuries before, someone who he would have considered his own father had to explain to him why they were going to abandon him to the forces of space, leave him to die, and Hal had understood. He hated every second of it, but he understood. Now it felt like he was going through that all over again with his best friend.

Quietly he sighed, fighting the tears that threatened to arise at the memory while letting his hand drop down from his neck and rest against the glass. Drawing little circles with a finger he hummed softly, letting his mind wander a bit. It wasn't fair- having to be picked up just to be left again. Making a new friend then having to leave her. But in the reality of the situation it was probably for the best. He breathed out again, the long exhale of air coming out as more of a groan than a sigh, lightly kicked the white wall in front of him and turned back around to head back to the bridge.

The door opened before him; Hal looked up at the people standing inside. Annie gave him a small, understanding smile and he gave her one back. Turning to where the Captain McCrea stood he snuck a glance to John who was standing in the back. He wasn't smiling but the light in his eyes said what he was thinking. Hal sighed again, looking to the captain. McCrea was looking at him expectantly, and Auto-

Hal shivered a bit when he met his burning red eye, his frown seeming to have deepened since he had left._ You don't like me._ Hal thought. _You don't like me being on your ship and I understand. I am sorry._ He wanted to say this out loud but kept his thoughts to himself, figuring that would be best.

"I thought about it." He said quietly.

"Well?" John asked, sounding just a tad bit too eager.

"If it is acceptable to the _Axiom's_ crew- as well as my own…" He paused, looking down to the floor before looking back up and continuing. "I will stay."

He barely even heard the loud cheer John let out that he quickly tried to cover up with a cough, or the warm welcome Captain McCrea gave him, or even the hug that he received from Annie.

His eyes never left Auto's- glowing red eyes angrily refusing the silent apology Hal tried to send him.

**Ok, real quick I'm going to explain something in case you didn't get it- the **_**Alexei Leonov**_** reference that I made earlier is supposed to refer to the Russian space ship that first met up with the **_**Discovery**_** and carried the scientists that rebooted Hal during 2010: Odyssey Two after Dave shut him off in 2001. Basically all Annie is saying is that when they die and something goes wrong no one is going to come and help out Hal-it's just going to be him.**

**Ok, well I'll post for this again at some point or another I would like a review or two. Thank you for reading!**


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